May 4, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina redshirt sophomore Gabriel Friedrich earned one of 49 at-large selections to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship, which will be played May 25-30 the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. He is one of 17 SEC players set to compete at the event.

A Second-Team All-SEC selection, Friedrich is ranked 55th in the nation behind his 20-17 overall record. After an injury sandwiched between the fall and spring seasons, the Brazilian worked his way back into form to post an impressive 5-7 SEC mark at the top of the Gamecocks’ lineup in his first season of dual-match competition. Friedrich hit his stride during a month-long stretch in March and April when he won six of his nine decisions, including three against ranked foes. His team-high five wins over ranked opponents include one over the 18th-ranked player in the nation, the team’s highest-ranked singles win of the season. Friedrich’s spring performance came on the heels of an impressive fall campaign in which he went 10-5 in tournament play and captured the singles title at the USTA Clay Court Invitational at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla.

With Friedrich’s selection, South Carolina has placed a singles competitor or doubles team in each of the last five NCAA Individual Championships. Under head coach Josh Goffi, the Gamecocks have had an All-American in two of the last three seasons with Andrew Adams advancing to the Round of 16 in 2014 and Tsvetan Mihov doing the same in 2013. Last season, Kyle Koch and Thiago Pinheiro competed in the NCAA Doubles Championship, taking their opening match before bowing out in the Round of 16.

The draws for the 64-player singles tournament will be determined at a coaches meeting May 24. Click here for a complete listing of entries on the NCAA Individual Championships.